Tricks Chefs Use to Get Kids to Eat Healthy Lunches

Epicurious Editors

The first day of school can feel like a second New Year’s Day: The kids are so excited about new everything—friends, teachers, classrooms. But the Laws of Arbitrary Pickiness still apply: No amount of back-to-school fever can magically convince kids to reject potato chips in favor of kale salad. Your best move under the circumstances? A well-intentioned but semi-deceptive approach to ease them into more nutritious meals. These harmless deceptions conceal smart strategies that will make your kid’s school lunch healthier—and tastier.

Franklin Becker, chef of The Little Beet in New York City, father of two sons, ages 10 and 14

"Yes, This Is Your Average PB&J."

Store-bought jam is usually packed with sugar (even the no-sugar-added versions bump up sweetness with grape or apple juice instead). And while you can make lower-sugar jam at home, your back-to-school dance card might already be too full to go the DIY route. Instead, Becker likes to swap out the jam in PB&J for naturally sweet fresh fruit, like strawberries and bananas. Cashew butter and whole-grain millet bread are bonus kid-friendly upgrades to try.

SEE MORE: 3 Surprising Healthy Ingredient Swaps

Philip Krajeck, chef of Rolf and Daughters in Nashville, father of 2 girls, ages 16 and 14

"Tomatoes Are No Longer Squishy."

Krajeck upholds his high professional standards when he prepares his daughters’ lunches. Though the dishes remain simple, the techniques are smart and thoughtful. Take a basic sandwich. Rather than layer in fresh, ripe slices of heirloom tomatoes, Krajeck packs them in a separate container so the bread doesn’t get soggy. Those little touches help ensure that his girls polish off every bite. 

Michael Anthony, chef of Gramercy Tavern in New York City, father of three girls, ages 15, 12, and 4

"These Aren’t Carrot Sticks. At All."

Uncooked vegetables are a no-brainer in terms of nutrition, but they’re not always kids’ favorites. Anthony says, “Kids arent crazy if they dont want a dried out carrot. It’s not going to taste awesome.” For his update on crudites, Anthony starts by using a mandolin or very sharp knife to cut different shapes: thin rounds, half-moons, long matchsticks. He then tosses the vegetables, from radishes to kohlrabi, in a little salt and vinegar. Anthony says that easy trick makes humdrum veggies actually “interesting to eat.”

SEE MORE: 5 Foods That Can Help Reduce Stress

"No, You Didn’t Just Eat That Last Night."

To break the routine of classic brown-bag fare, Anthony turns dinner leftovers into creative cold lunches. Anthony says, “I aim to use up leftovers and hide them in really popular items.” For example, he cubes last nights soy-sesame pork chops and tosses them into a sweet-and-sour dressing for tomorrow’s chopped salad.

"Candy Grows on Trees. Sort of."

Rather than sneak healthy ingredients into indulgent dishes, Anthony brings a little richness to nutritious options. These additions get kids to try—and love—healthy choices. For example, his girls don’t finish their snack bags of nuts and dried fruit unless he tosses in some yogurt-covered raisins.

Gale Gand, Chicago-based celebrity chef and author of Lunch!, mother of one boy and twin girls, ages 18 and 10

"Edamame Are Magic."

They’re the answer to the perennial problem of how to keep lunches cold, and a great way to get green vegetables throughout winter. One of Gand's favorite tricks is to toss unthawed shelled edamame into chilled noodles when she packs the dish in the morning. By the time lunch rolls around, the edamame are thawed and the noodles still cold.

"This Food Is Still All White."

Gand knows that forcing her one picky eater to try completely new things will end in frustration. So Gand will add a vegetable she knows her daughter likes to a pre-approved white food. Hence a new all-time favorite (that’s very lunchbox friendly): pasta with broccoli.

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